Krook



UNITED STATEs PATENT Ormea' ISAAC DU BOSE SEABI-OOK, OF ST. HELENAISLAND, SOUTI-I' CAROLINA.

RocK-DREDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 292,371, dated January22, 21.884.

` Application filed May 2,118,83. (No model.)

description.

My invention relates to machines employed for the disintegration andrecovery of the phosphate rock'deposits of river bottoms or beds and theobject of the invention is to provvide a machine of this class contrivedfor greater flexibility of action for the recovery of a largerpercentageof rock for the time and labor expended than can be obtained by the useof such machines as at present constructed.

The invention consists of a heavy rake or y breaker having teeth capableof independent vertical movement relatively with each other, andcombined with a basket or gatherer, also having free vertical movement,and arranged to trail behind the breaker, for collecting the fragmentsof 4rock broken up thereby, both the breaker and gatherer having, also,a free' lateral play, for better accommodating themselves to theirregularities of the river-bed for maximum useful effect, the machinebeing connectedto a drag-rope or chain, to be worked by any suitablepower, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

lReference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, forming part ofthis specification, in which the figure is a perspective view of myimproved rock-dredge.

I make the breaker in the form of a heavy rake,- consisting in part ofmetal side bars, a, ranging about parallel with each other at theforward ends, where they are connected by any suitable clevis orshackle, b, to the drag rope orchain c, which is to connect with any ysuitable power for hauling the breaker and attached gatherer over theriver-bottom---V such as a moving vessel,or a winding-drum, or

larities of the lumpy or honey-combed phosphate rockbed of the river;and to afford the same freedom of movement, and for `like purpose, tothecentral or intermediate teeth, a2, I connect them to' a,bar,'e, bytheirforwardlyextending shanks or body portions, a3, and between4 collars orstops f, to confine them laterally on bar e, which is4 secured to barsa, so`

that the teeth a2 may rock freely infvertical plane and independently ofeachother, clips or loops g, iiXed to bar d, and throughwhich the shanksof theteeth a2 pass', serving to limit the downward play of said teeth.rBhe breaker thus constructed has and maintains a general angular orform, and all the teeth work freely and independently of each other to asufcient degree to insure a maximum contact and friction on the lumpyand irregular river-bed for a large displacement of the phosphate rock,

the teeth being preferably steel-pointed for better effect and increaseddurability.

Between the forward ends of breaker-bars a, I connect the ends of thedraft-bars t of the basket or gatherer 7c by a suitable pin or bolt, j,so that the gatherer will be drawn or trailed along behind the breaker7to collect the fragments of rock broken up or freed from the river-bedby the breaker, and which pass through its teeth, which arespacedsuitably to avoid clogging of the breaker by the rock. The bars iare bent downward and curved suitably at i', to act with one or moreintermediat-e curved plates or bars, i2, and the transverse upper rod orrods, Z, and lower rod or wire rope, m, to form a framework for supportof any suitably intermeshing wires or chains o, to make a basket-likestructure, which is held by its frame close to the riverbed and atsuitable distance behind the breaker-teeth to form an effective gathererof the broken rock, and which, when filled, may

be hauled up by the drag-rope c, for discharge of its contents. F

The gatherer is supported by its frame a sufficient distance above thevertically-moving 9 IOO The breaker may have any desired number ofvertically-movable teeth, depending on the capacity of the machine, andthe gatherer may consist of two or more similarly-con1 structcdcontiguous basket-like sections,witl1 ont departing from the spirit ofmy invention.v

Having thus described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a rock-dredge, the combination, with a trailingbasket or gatherer and drag rope or chain, of the breaker havingsliackled side toothed bars and intermediate independent-lymovabletoothed bars, adapted to have vertical movement, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

2. The breaker, made with diverging toothbars a a, connected suitably toa draft-@levis or shackle at the front, and by a rear transverse bar, d,having clips or 'loops g, through which pass the intermediate teeth, f,which connect pivotally with cross-bar e of bar a, substantially asshown and described.

3. The gatherer,constructed with frame-bars i f', cross-rods I, ilexiblewire rope m, and intermeshing cordsv or wires o, substantially as shownand described.

4. The combination, in a rock-dredge, of the breaker consisting oftoothed bars a a', connected to draft-shackle b and to each other bybars d c, said bars c carrying pivotally and between collars f theforward ends of the inA termediate tooth-bars, a c", which work in loopsg, anda trailing basket or gatherer, pivoted to bars a atj, and formedof end-curved bars li, bars i?, top cross bar or bars, Z, and flexiblewire rope m, and the intermeshing cords or chains o, said breaker andgatherer being connected to the drag-rope c and to each other, to affordfree vertical and lateral play ofthe breaker and gatherer, snbstantially as shown and described.

ISAAC DU BOS E SEABROOK.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL Evans, NV. J. Ynnninn.

